The Search for Diamonte Cave
by KipperCat25
Summary: Upon arriving at Loguetown, the crew finds that the town is under siege and no visitors are allowed in. Dejected, Luffy creates a second plan which is to go back to his hometown, Foosha Village, to see his mother. But after his arrival, he gets the worst news of his life...his mother has died. Luffy becomes depressed and needs to go on an adventure. He goes adventuring all right...
1. Chapter 1-Depression

**Well, this is my first story since I've gotten my laptop...I sincerely hope that now my stories will be more well-written. Before, I only had a limited time on the computer, since I had to share it with other family members. But now, I have more time to think, and henceforth my writing should be better. I'd appreciate it if you would review to tell me what you think. Reviews, especially positive critique ones, make me want to write more and improve. **

**So, on that note, enjoy! :)**

* * *

Luffy sat slumped in his chair and stared glumly out the window, his gaze unseeing. It seemed to him that his life had no purpose anymore. He never mentioned this to anyone else, but the only thing keeping Luffy from killing himself right then and there was his crew. He was worried what might become of them if he died. They might break up, or worse yet, elect someone new to replace him as captain. Just thinking about that filled him with horror.

But, he supposed, maybe they would just allow Zoro to take his place. That would seem the logical thing to do. He _was _first mate, after all.

Suddenly, Luffy sensed a presence in the room. He tensed in his chair, ready to jump up and attack at a moment's notice. His hand strayed, cautiously, to the short sword he had strapped to his side.

"It's just me," a familiar voice softly called.

Luffy relaxed slightly, returning his hand to its place on the armrest. His gaze had never left the world outside the window. He followed the presence in his mind as Zoro stepped up beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Zoro cleared his throat. "Would you like-"

"NO!" Luffy sprang out of his chair so fast that it smacked the wall on the opposite side of the room before crashing to the floor. In a flash, he had Zoro pinned up against the wall, one hand encircling his neck, cutting off his oxygen.

Zoro's composure never wavered. He stared calmly into Luffy's furious gaze, no emotion present on his face.

Luffy gasped suddenly and let go of Zoro, who tumbled to the floor. He began shaking and stared at his hand, unable to believe what he had done.

Zoro picked himself up off the floor and calmly dusted off his jeans. Then he stepped away from Luffy and regarded him with an intense scrutiny. This had been happening for a little over three months now, ever since they had returned to Luffy's hometown, Foosha Village, to find that his mother had died from heart failure. It was said that she was at the town market buying apples for her homemade apple pie when she had suddenly collapsed, dead.

When Luffy heard this news, he immediately went back to his old house and locked himself in his room, never opening the door except to use the bathroom and pick up the plates of warm food that Sanji left in the hall at mealtimes.

A month later, he came out of his room for the first time, only to take a chair from the kitchen and sit in front of the window all day, staring outside, never really _seeing _anything, just staring. His mother's death had taken its toll on him. Zoro supposed that after they had found the One Piece, Luffy had wanted to come back home and share his wealth with his mother, to help support her as she got older. But now, with this unachievable, Luffy was just a husk of what he used to be.

What made it worse were his unpredictable temper flares. One second he could just be staring out the window, and the next he could be pointing his sword at your chest. And aferwards, it was always the same- Luffy would go into a state of shock over what he'd done, or almost done, and wouldn't acknowledge anyone for the rest of the day, maybe even the rest of the week, depending on how bad the incident was. The crew had learned to be wary of their captain.

Zoro regarded Luffy carefully, trying to figure out what he'd done to upset him. Sometimes he would only get angry if people yelled, regardless of who they were actually yelling _at. _Other times he would get mad about nothing at all, like today. There really did not seem to be a pattern for Luffy's outbursts.

Zoro knew that if he could just figure out what was causing his anger, then he could fix it. Or if not fix it, then at least get the people of the town to stop doing whatever it was that was making him upset.

Luffy stumbled over to his chair and shakily lowered himself into it. Then he stared, wide-eyed, out the window.

Zoro knew this was his cue to leave, even if nothing had been said or done. He stepped carefully around Luffy's chair and walked out of the room. He needed to meditate, which he hadn't done since he had last sailed on the Going Merry. There had to be some way to help Luffy, and he was determined to find it.

* * *

Sanji whistled softly as he stirred the soup he was making for Luffy. It was thick, filled with meat, vegetables, and a rich, creamy beef broth. Just what Luffy used to like after a long day at sea. Not that he really had "long days" anymore, but Sanji thought he needed something comforting. Sanji remembered how Luffy used to jump up and down when he found out that he was going to be making it and wouldn't keep pestering him while he was. He hadn't made him the soup since they had sailed to Loguetown.

Just thinking about the way Luffy used to be almost brought a tear to his eye. Almost, but not quite. Sanji didn't cry. Unless Nami or Robin were in trouble, that is.

He sniffed and smiled a little, stirring the soup slowly and savoring its rich smell. He could almost taste it, it smelled so good.

"A little emotional, huh?" Zoro said, smirking a little.

Sanji jumped. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even realized Zoro had entered the kitchen. He wiped his eyes hurriedly and grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Zoro asked.

"Can it, marimo. I'm not emotional. It's just..." He turned around, glanced at Zoro, and faltered. "What...?"

Zoro's expression softened. "It's Luffy, isn't it?" he asked softly.

Sanji opened his mouth and took a deep breath, ready to curse and yell at Zoro for interrupting him, but no sound came out. He sighed. "Yes," he said in a small voice.

Zoro stared evenly at Sanji.

Getting no response, Sanji looked up and gasped. "Your neck!" he exclaimed. "Did Luffy-"

"Yes," Zoro cut him off. "...Is it really that bad?" he fingered his neck where Luffy's nails had dug into his skin.

Sanji nodded. "It's all red and swollen."

Zoro frowned. "I should disinfect it." He moved to leave the kitchen.

"Wait." Sanji reached forward and grabbed Zoro's arm.

Zoro raised his eyebrows at Sanji. "Yeah?"

Sanji opened his mouth, but hesitated. He had a million things he wanted to say to him. How thankful he was that Zoro was supporting him through this even though they were rivals. how great of a fighter he was...but he didn't want to lose the fight for who was better.

"Oh, whatever," he mumbled under his breath. He threw his arms around Zoro and held on tightly, willing himself not to cry.

Zoro's eyes widened. That hug said what words never could. Zoro turned around and wrapped his arms around his crewmate's shoulders and held him for a minute.

After a few seconds, Sanji pulled away and cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. He cast about in his mind for something to say.

"Your jeans are dirty."

Zoro looked down at his jeans and back up at Sanji. Then he started to laugh and clapped his friend's shoulder. "I think the soup is done," he said.

* * *

Zoro blinked and stretched. He had just awoken from a state of meditative calm, meaning that his body was reawakening. It was pretty much just like waking up early in the morning. Also, it usually took a minute or two for him to remember what it was that he had thought of or seen during his meditation.

As he waited for his memory to return to him, he listened carefully for signs of life in the rest of the house. As far as he could tell, no one else was awake. Sanji's dinner had sank him into one of the deepest levels of meditation, and he hadn't been that deep for a while.

Suddenly, his thoughts returned to him. After letting them sink in for a second, his eyes widened and he jumped up. He knew a way to help Luffy!

He made his way over to his bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. By his calculations, it was about one in the morning. It was definitely one of the longest meditations he had ever had, if not the most insightful.

Zoro carefully walked down the hall, trying his best not to make any noise and wake the others, since the house was all on one floor. But it was definitely big enough to house all five of them.

As he passed the doorway to the office, he could just make out Luffy up ahead, slumped in his chair. Zoro figured he was probably asleep, since it was so late. But he paused, just to make sure. Luffy's breathing was slow and regular. He frowned. The one time he needed him to be awake...

"Luffy?" he called softly.

Luffy turned in his chair, mumbling something unintelligible.

Zoro scowled and moved closer, making sure he stayed a safe distance away. "LUFFY."

Luffy jumped up, his eyes wild.

He started but retained his calm. "It's me, Luffy."

Luffy relaxed a little and sat back down, resuming his silent vigil of the dark outside.

Zoro took a deep breath. "Luffy," he began, still keeping his voice calm and quiet, "I have an idea."

Luffy gave no response or even an acknowledgement that he had heard.

Zoro continued. "You need to get out of the house."

Luffy turned his head then and stared Zoro straight in the eyes. Zoro tried his hardest not to flinch and stared back evenly.

He was even more surprised when Luffy said, "Why?"

This was the first time Luffy had said anything remotely natural in the past three months. Zoro knew he had to keep his calm and explain his idea to Luffy without losing his temper or saying anything that might upset him.

He composed his thoughts for a second before continuing. "For a while now, you've just sat here and stared outside. Now, I want you to imagine the way you used to be. You used to be really active and never came inside for anything except food. I know...I know what it's like to lose someone in your family. When I was seven..." Zoro swallowed. He had never told this story to anyone. "When I was seven, I lost my dad."

Luffy blinked and began to chew on his bottom lip.

Zoro could tell that this was having an effect on him, but he also knew that he couldn't go too far, or he might ruin the whole thing. So he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Luffy blinked again. "How?"

Zoro sighed. "Let me get a chair. I'll be right back."

Luffy did nothing as Zoro left the room but stare back out the window into the blackness. Deep inside, he knew Zoro was right. He had spent too long mourning over his mother, but he felt that if he left the houe or started travelling again, he would be abandoning her. His heart was a mix of sadness, desperation, longing, and frustration. He wished there was a way that he could take his mother with him on his travels. That way he could go places without ever feeling that he had left her behind.

At that moment, Zoro came back into the room carrying one of the kitchen chairs. He plopped it down next to Luffy's and sat in it. Although Luffy had acted relatively normal since he had started talking to him, he still maintained a mental state of awareness just in case. Besides, you just never knew when it came to Luffy.

Zoro took a deep breath and began talking. "We used to live in Shimotsuki, as you well know. It's not that far from here, actually. Anyway, one day I was in the dojo, training with Koshiro when my mother came in. I knew something must have been seriously wrong, since usually girls weren't allowed in the dojo, but I was with my friends and the sensei was watching me, so I went up to her and whispered that she should leave. She didn't ask any questions. She just turned around and left. I went back to my training, but I couldn't concentrate. I kept wondering why my mother had come to the dojo.

"After a while, went up to Koshiro and explained how I felt. He told me I could leave early if I wanted, but I refused. All of the students at the dojo were competing over these things called badges, which we got for completing specific tasks. The one I was working on then was the 'dedication badge'. We got that one if we didn't miss any practices or leave early for one year. It had been nine months.

"But he didn't accept my answer. In fact, he forced me to go home. He said it wouldn't affect my badge. So I went. I think he knew what had happened, somehow." He swallowed. Bringing back those memories was difficult.

Luffy waited patiently with rapt attention. His eyes were dull, as if hearing the story was just as difficult as telling it. His gaze flicked up to Zoro's face as he resumed talking.

"I went home, curious but slightly afraid to know what was wrong. As soon as I walked in the house, I knew what had happened. The house was quiet, and I heard weeping coming from upstairs. I froze and my bag fell from my hand. Then I ran upstairs and burst into my parents' room. My mom was kneeling next to the bed, crying. My dad was laying in the bed, utterly still. I walked over to him and stared down. Tears dripped off the end of my nose onto his pale face.

"The funeral was that weekend, and it was one of the worst ordeals I've ever went through in my life. My heart still bears the scars of that." He sighed and stared out of the window.

Luffy blinked and reached a hand up to his eye. He brushed away a tear before laying a hand on Zoro's shoulder.

Zoro's eyes widened slightly and he looked over at Luffy. The boy's eyes were wet with tears. Putting his hestitation aside, Zoro reached over and embraced him.

Luffy buried his head in Zoro's shoulder and began to sob. He hadn't cried since before his mother had died, and all his sadness and frustration had built up inside of him. He needed to let it all out.

Zoro tightened his grip on Luffy as his sobs became more violent and waited for him to calm down.

Eventually, still sniffling, Luffy pulled away from Zoro and sat back in his chair. He sighed softly.

Zoro stiffened slightly but still kept up his outward calm. This was part that he was worried about. Either Luffy was going to agree with him and try to start over, or he was going to push him away and keep staring out of the window for the rest of his life.

After waiting for a while and getting no response, he leaned forward. "Luffy?"

A loud snore was his only response.

Zoro chuckled. "Oh, Luffy." He shook his head and stood up. He needed to get some sleep. He took the chair back out to the kitchen, went down the hall, and collapsed into his bed.

* * *

That night Zoro slept deeply and awoke refreshed and happy. He thought that the night had gone well, even more so because he had gotten Luffy to talk to him. He hoped that he remembered what he had said last night.

Zoro slipped out of bed, ran his fingers through his short green hair, and stepped out of his room.

The second he appeared in the hallway, Sanji stepped out of his room also. He was wearing a look of wide-eyed disbelief.

"What's up?" he asked.

Sanji blinked. "Luffy...Luffy's in the kitchen, asking for food..."

Zoro grinned. "Great!"

"What did you do last night?"

"I just talked to him, that's all."

Sanji nodded. "Well whatever you did, it worked." He walked away down the hallway to the kitchen. "Come see for yourself."

Zoro obeyed and followed him into the kitchen. Sure enough, there sat Luffy, looking annoyed that his food wasn't done yet. If someone had seen him then, they wouldn't have been able to tell that he had spent the past three months dealing with depression.

Luffy's eyes brightened when he saw Zoro. "Hey, Zoro!" he exclaimed. "Sanji was making me food, and when I walked in, he ran out."

Zoro glanced over at Sanji and didn't answer. "Are Nami and Usopp up yet?" he asked.

Sanji pursed his lips. "Not that I'm aware of," he said.

Zoro nodded. "Okay."

Luffy swung his legs back and forth as he waited for his breakfast. "I'm huuuuungry!" He complained.

Sanji's face became more stressed as he began whisking Luffy's eggs faster.

"SAAAANJIII!"

Zoro glanced at Luffy, who was swirling his fingers on the tablecloth.

Sanji licked his lips and whisked even faster. A second later he lost his grip on the bowl, and it flew out of his hand, landing with a _crash _on the tiled floor. His eyes widened suddenly and his face became a mask of fear. It was clear that he thought Luffy was going to attack him for messing up his food.

Luffy looked up and stared evenly at Sanji.

A drop of sweat rolled down Sanji's face.

After a few seconds, Luffy looked back down at the tablecloth. "Why did you do that, Sanji?" he asked calmly. "I'm not _that _hungry. Besides, now you have to start over."

Sanji began to shake. This was just too much of a shock for his body to take. His eyes rolled up in his head and he passed out.

Zoro darted forward and caught him before he hit the floor and gently lowered him down.

"Luffy, could you get some ice out of the freezer, please?"

He looked up. "Sure, Zoro. What happened, anyway?"

"He passed out, that's all." He accepted the ice from Luffy and wrapped it in a towel before placing it on Sanji's forehead. "He'll be fine in a minute."

"Oh. Okay." Luffy looked down at the messy floor. "Now who's going to make me food?" he pouted.

Zoro made sure the ice was balanced before standing. "I'll make your eggs," he said, "If you clean this mess up.'

Luffy frowned, thinking this through. Then he shrugged. "Okay. I'm going to need some energy for our adventure."

Zoro frowned, confused. "We're going on an adventure?"

Luffy grinned as he got out the mop. "Yep!"

"You mean, we're going to _sail_ somewhere?"

Luffy rolled his eyes. "Well, _duh. _It wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't use the boat."

Zoro's eyes widened slightly. Maybe talking to Luffy had done more than he'd thought. He shrugged happily and cracked three fresh eggs into a skillet. Well, that was good.

Luffy swirled the mop around the floor, finishing his job in record time. He put away the mop and flopped down onto the stool.

Zoro flipped the eggs out of the skillet and onto a plate. Then he grabbed a few pieces of bread that were already toasted and set it all on the table in front of Luffy. Then he set to work making his own breakfast.

As he was working, Usopp walked in, Nami right behind him.

"Hey Zor-" Usopp froze, causing Nami to bump into his back.

"Watch it!" she reprimanded. Then she saw what Usopp had seen.

Zoro smirked. "Yes, you're seeing what you think you're seeing," he said, knowing that they were surprised to see Luffy.

"Zoro, what did you do to Sanji?" Nami asked. She stared down at his body. Usopp stepped up next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Zoro blinked, surprised. He thought they were speechless because of Luffy, not Sanji. Only then did he realize how bad the situation would look to them.

"This isn't what it looks like, guys. Sanji passed out when Luffy told him to make the eggs faster."

"Oh, really?" Nami turned her furious gaze on him. "Do you have any pr-wait. What did you just say?"

"I said Luffy kept telling him to make his eggs faster, and he passed out."

Zoro saw the realization pass over Nami and Usopp's faces as they slowly turned to look at the kitchen table, where Luffy was sitting finishing his eggs. He looked up at them and smiled hugely. "Hey, guys!"

Nami staggered and would have fallen if Zoro hadn't caught her arm. "Wha-? How-? When-?" She shook her head and tried to regain her composure.

Usopp, meanwhile, was just staring at Luffy. He waved at the boy when he said "hey", but his face was a mask of disbelief.

Nami shook off Zoro's hand. "How did you do this?"

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, how?"

Zoro shrugged. "I just talked to him, that's all. It wasn't anything too difficult."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "Really? All of us have tried talking to him before, even you, and it's never worked. What did you do different?"

Zoro fidgeted uncomfortably. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be as accepting as Sanji.

Fortunately, Sanji awoke at that moment. He groaned and sat up.

Nami, forgetting about Zoro for the moment, bent down. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah...I think so.." Sanji got up onto his knees and then slowly pulled himself to his feet, using the edge of the counter for support. After a minute he straightened up and looked around him. "Who made Luffy the eggs?" he asked.

"I did," Zoro said. "It really wasn't that difficult."

Sanji scowled. "Shut up, marimo. My head hurts. Did I smack it off the floor?"

"No. I caught you before you fell." he said, snarkily.

"Oh, marimo, you are so going to get it now," Sanji said. "That is not something you say to your chef, who cooks all of your meals."

"Well, from what I've seen, it's pretty easy to cook. I mean, I made Luffy and myself breakfast without any trouble, did I not?"

Nami stepped between the two of them. "No fighting, guys. We've had enough of that lately as it is."

Zoro took a deep breath. "Yeah, I suppose your right," he said, remembering how Luffy had attacked him the night before.

Sanji thought of this also and backed away, going over to the sink to do the dishes.

Usopp stepped over to the table and settled himself carefully on the stool across from Luffy, posititioning himself so that he could get away easily if Luffy decided to attack him.

Luffy had long since finished his eggs and was just sitting there, staring glumly at his empty plate. He was thinking of how much work they would have to do to get ready for the trip. He also realized he hadn't told the rest of his crew yet...

"Hey, guys?" he asked.

Usopp jumped. "Yeah?" he said, answering for all of them.

"We're going on an adventure tomorrow."

Nami's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said, we're going on an adventure. We're going to sail to Takara Island." Luffy looked up at his crew, carefully monitoring their reactions.

Zoro only looked faintly surprised, since he already knew they were going. Nami, Usopp and Sanji, however, looked extremely shocked. Apparently they thought that since he had just gotten over his depression he shouldn't be going anywhere yet. Or they were just used to him staring out of the window every day, not doing anything.

"Listen, guys. I know I just got over my depression. But I wouldn't have gotten over it at all if it weren't for Zoro. He rescued me from myself."

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Nami put her hands on her hips.

Luffy just stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

Nami removed her hands from her hips and rolled her eyes. "What's the problem?"

He frowned. "Do that again," he commanded.

"What? This?" she put her hands back on her hips.

Luffy nodded slowly and swallowed. He seemed to be getting up the nerve to say something.

Nami looked him straight in the eye and said, "What?"

Luffy fidgeted for a second. "You...you look hot like that."

There was silence in the kitchen. The little conversations that had been going on between Sanji, Zoro and Usopp puttered out. Everyone stared at Luffy, who squirmed under their gaze.

Suddenly, Zoro burst out laughing. "Really, Luffy? Wow. I never thought you would go for someone as bossy as her."

"What? I was just telling the truth. It's not like I like her or anything, gosh. That's my job, to tell the truth. At least that's what my mother wants me to do."

Sanji spoke up. "Wait, you said that telling the truth is what your mother _wants _ you to do. But..." he hesitated. "But she's dead."

Luffy's face saddened, but he didn't cry or get angry. "I know," he said. "My mom speaks to me sometimes. Well, I don't know if it's really her speaking to me, but occasionally I remember something she's said to me that I never paid much attention to before, and I feel like I should act upon it, you know?"

Usopp nodded somberly. "I know what you mean."

Luffy smiled at him and looked up at the rest of the crew, who were nodding also. He grinned and decided to ruin the moment.

"Anyway," he began, "We're going to leave at sunrise tomorrow. So you guys should pack tonight, so you won't have to get up even earlier."

"Okay," Nami said.

Sanji frowned slightly. Did it never occur to Luffy to _ask _if the rest of his crew wanted to go on a trip? He shook his head but murmured his assent like everyone else. Luffy _was _the captain, he supposed.

Luffy stood up. "Alright then, i guess I'll go pack and go to bed. See you all in the morning." He waved goodnight and stepped out of the room, into the dimly lit hallway. He smirked.

_"If you're all still alive."_

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2-The Fight

**Well, here's Chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoy it. I've noticed that not very many people are reading and reviewing, and makes me a tad upset because, in my opinion, this is one of the best stories I've written so far. I don't know about you, so I'd _really _appreciate it if you would review. I use the reviews to improve my future writing. Yeah, everyone says that, I know. But I actually do it.**

**Anyway, (sorry to ruin the mood there) I hope you find this chapter just as good as the first one, if not better. :)**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Luffy cackled as he slipped between the sheets in his bed. He sighed happily as he relaxed against his pillows. He hadn't been in his bed for a long time.

As he closed his eyes, his imagination went to overdrive. Every time he got into bed and tried to sleep, his mind would get suddenly very active, and he would think about his life. And sometimes, his brain would make up something that might happen because of his actions, and sometimes the result that it came up with was scary.

Luffy thought about what he had said before going to bed. He had said that he would take his crew on an adventure to Takara Island, but now he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. His previous thoughts, that he would be abandoning his mother if he left, were returning.

His thoughts turned to his departing remark, _"If you're all still alive."_ He wondered what he had meant by that. He wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he was going to kill everyone tonight...

Luffy shook his head. No, that couldn't be right. Luffy wasn't one to kill his crew members They had helped him through his depression, and killing them wasn't such a great way to repay them. Finding a cave full of treasure, however, was a terrific way.

He rolled over so he was facing the wall and sighed irritably. As usual, his thoughts were keeping him awake. This was nothing new.

Eventually, his mind got tired out from all the thinking, and he dropped off into a soft slumber.

* * *

Everyone stared at Luffy's receding back as he skipped down the hallway. When he turned a corner, everyone looked at each other instead.

"What did he just say?" Nami asked, the first to regain her composure.

"H-he said..." Usopp's knees shook. "He said, 'If you're all still alive'...what does that mean, exactly?"

Zoro frowned. "You idiot, it means he's gonna kill all of us, duh. Even an idiot could've figured _that _out. Oh wait, you _are _an idiot. Nevermind, I guess not..."

"Zoro, this isn't the time for jokes. We need to figure out why he said what he said," Nami sat down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands.

"Well, I wouldn't know. He's cured, so maybe it was a joke?" Zoro ventured.

"Are you sure he's cured? He didn't sound like he was joking."

Zoro blinked, perplexed. Of course Luffy was cured! He had stopped sitting by the window all day, and now he was taking them to a treasure island! But...it_ did_ seem like he had healed a little too quickly. So maybe he wasn't quite cured, after all.

He frowned. "I don't know...It does seem too good to be true."

"Exactly," Nami said, slumping in her chair to rest her chin on her arms. "So what are we going to do? What if Luffy isn't cured, and it's just something more complicated then what he did before, when he attacked us? Or maybe he's just so tired of us fussing over him that he decided to kill us so he can be alone with his mother? Or..." Nami swallowed. "I read somewhere that before a person dealing with depression kills themselves, they go through a short state of remission. They seem like they're getting better, since they know what they're going to do and they've achieved a purpose in life. To kill themselves."

There was silence in the kitchen. Everyone was thinking about what it would be like if Luffy did kill himself, and what they would do with their lives. Usopp thought that he would kill himself, too, but he knew he probably wouldn't have the courage to do it even if he had the opportunity.

Sanji just frowned and begged whoever was in charge of the world would keep Luffy from doing it. Zoro was devastated, and a tear almost came into his eye. Nami just sat there, head on her arms, and stared off into the distance.

"Well," Nami said, breaking the silence, "We should probably go to bed..."

"B-but then Luffy might kill us!" Usopp shouted. "I don't want that to happen."

"None of us do, long-nose," Zoro said. "But we need to get some sleep and pack just in case we're still alive tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," Nami said. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood. "Well, goodnight everyone." Then she left the room.

Sanji listened anxiously for any noises of distress from Nami as she walked away. When he heard the door to her room click shut, he breathed a sigh of relief and slouched against the counter.

Zoro yawned. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night too."

"Me, too," Usopp said suddenly, looking around nervously. It was obvious that the only reason he was going to bed right then was so that he would have someone strong to guard him on the way to his bedroom. But no one brought it up. They were scared too, but they just didn't show it as prominently.

Usopp smiled. "Thank you," he said.

Sanji nodded.

Zoro stepped out into the hallway and quickly looked both ways, but Luffy wasn't in sight. "C'mon," he said. "Luffy's not even here."

Sanji and Usopp followed Zoro down the hallway and went into their room. The top two ranked crew members, which would be him and Luffy, got their own rooms, but the rest of them were forced to share. Well, Nami got her own room, but that was because she was the only girl. Sanji and Usopp had to share, not that they really minded much. Usopp, as Sanji had quickly found out, was actually a cool guy. He just said some really stupid things and was scared of a rock. But he knew all kinds of battle strategy tricks, and he had shown a few of these to Sanji to lessen the tension on their many sleepless nights worrying about Luffy.

Zoro continued down the hallway, on his own now, when suddenly he felt an excruciating pain in his lower abdomen.

He stopped, confused and looked down slowly. Then he blinked. He had been expecting to see a knife sticking out of his gut, but there was nothing.

The pain continued to get worse, so Zoro wrapped his arm around his waist and went to go lie down. He must've eaten some bad eggs or something. He would have to make sure he told Sanji about it in the morning.

Finally, hunched over from pain, he made it to his bed. He collapsed on it and let out a breath. Although it didn't relieve much of the pain, it felt a little better.

He closed his eyes and focused on breathing through the pain. For some reason, it wasn't going away, only getting worse. Much worse. Even with his enormous pain threshold, this was getting to be too much.

Zoro had a sudden nauseous feeling, and he knew without a doubt that he was going to throw up. So he stood on shaky legs and made his way down the hall to the bathroom as quickly as he could. He hurriedly jiggled the door handle, only to find that it was locked and there was somebody else in there.

Probably Nami. He cursed. "Oi, Nami!" he yelled. "I gotta upchuck! Open the damn door!"

The door swung open and Zoro rushed in. He barely made it to the toilet in time before he spewed vomit everywhere.

He spit out the excess, coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The pain in his stomach abated slightly. Only then did he realize that his puke wasn't regular colored...it wasn't even colored like any of the food he had eaten in the past week. It was a pinkish-red.

Zoro frowned and stared. Blood? He was sure that wasn't healthy...

He slowly turned around, scanning the room with his perceptive gaze. He got halfway around the room when he puked again. It was even more red this time.

Zoro blinked and started to get a little nervous. What if this was how Luffy was planning to kill him?

Speaking of which...Zoro paused. Someone had unlocked the door and let him in, but he hadn't seen anyone when he had rushed in...granted, he could have been preoccupied with his sickness, but he was almost sure there hadn't been anyone just inside the door.

Zoro stood, wobbled a bit, and walked over to the door. Then he noticed that the cubby that usually sat on the right side of the door was now on the left, and there was a rope tied to it. He followed the rope with his eyes, tracing its path across the floor, where it ended at...the shower.

That was it. Luffy had blocked the door and tied a rope around the cubby so Zoro wouldn't see him when he came in.

Zoro scowled. He was about to go give Luffy a piece of his mind, regardless of his recent condition, when he had to puke again. He was about to turn to the toilet when he had a much _better _idea. He smirked.

Zoro walked over to the shower, careful not to make any noise as he stepped, and listened carefully. Sure enough, he could hear the soft breathing of someone trying hard not to be heard.

He stuck his head around the curtain with cat-like reflexes and let it out. The puke flew at Luffy's astonished face, soaking through his shirt. It dripped down onto his pants as he just stood there, staring downwards.

Zoro chuckled. Granted, that had been pretty mean, but now Luffy looked hilarious with blood-puke all over him.

Luffy raised his head ever-so- slowly, and Zoro knew he was in for it. He spread his feet and assumed a strong, if shaky, defensive stance. His body was in no state for fighting. He didn't know how much longer he had to live. If he was going to live through the next ten minutes.

Luffy's head continued on its slow journey upwards, and Zoro began to get even more nervous. He already knew that he wasn't going to live very much longer, and now he had the threat of his best friend going renegade on him. He swallowed, some of the bloody vomit trickling down his throat.

Suddenly, Luffy's head reached its peak, his light blue eyes meeting Zoro's deep green ones. Then, with a flash, Luffy was on him, beating at his head and chest and pulling at his hair.

Zoro stumbled and fell back against the counter as Luffy's attacks became more violent. With that, and the immense pain coming from his gut, his senses were overloading.

Just when he thought he couldn't take any more pain, there was a sudden state of calm. All his pain had faded away and he was just floating there, his eyes closed, as all his injuries were soothed.

_Am I dead? _he wondered.

He opened his eyes to investigate and was surprised to see that he was still in the bathroom, and Luffy was still attacking him. He blinked. Shouldn't he be in pain?

With a bang, he remembered something Koshiro had once said, "Fear death, as it ends all life, but fear not the pain that comes with death, as it can be easily forgotten in the rage of battle."

Zoro instantly knew that this was what he was feeling. He had to take advantage of it while it was there.

He lashed out with both wrists, catching Luffy off guard, and flung him across the room. Since he had never fought Luffy before, it amazed him how light the boy was. It was like he ate nothing. And yet Zoro knew from lots of personal experience that this was not the case.

Luffy picked himself up and stared at Zoro in disbelief.

Zoro had positioned himself in a strong defensive stance, any trace of shakiness or weakness gone.

"How?" Luffy asked. "I thought I gave you more than enough..."

Zoro smirked. "So you poisoned me? I should've known. How long have I got to live?" Along with the pain, all of his fear was gone too.

Luffy paused, deep in thought. "Two weeks," he said. "But it might be less if you don't do as I say."

Zoro frowned. "That's no way to speak to your first mate."

In a flash, Luffy was right up in his face and had the tip of his sword up against his throat. "I speak how I want."

A second later he was back in his old spot across the room.

Zoro blinked. How had he acquired that speed? Then he had a thought. If he was in battle rage, shouldn't he have extreme speed too? It probably had many other uses that he didn't even know about.

He grinned. He might as well try them out while he had the chance. But first...

"Hey, Luffy, since I'm going to die anyway, is there an antidote for this poison?"

Luffy looked up. "Yes, of course."

Zoro kept his face carefully calm, but inside he was ecstatic If only he could get a hold of the antidote...Zoro figured that Luffy had poisoned everyone else, too. So he could save everyone, if only he knew where it was...

"Where is it?"

Luffy smirked. "Like I'd tell you. It's somewhere you've never been, and never will go."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. You've never been in my room."

Zoro jumped a little. Luffy had just given it away! But he had to stay calm. "Yeah, you're right."

Now Zoro decided to test some things. He rushed over to Luffy, surprised that he had gotten there in less than a second, and put him in a headlock. Unfortunately, that left his stomach and sides open to attack, but Zoro knew his battle rage would mask any pain he felt. At least for now. He was going to be in some serious pain later.

Luffy struggled to get his head out of Zoro's elbow.

Zoro smirked. There was no way Luffy was getting out now.

Suddenly, Luffy went limp.

Zoro frowned. Had he passed out already?

A second later, Luffy had drawn his sword and opened several shallow cuts on his stomach and right side.

Zoro hissed in frustration and threw Luffy away. He crashed into the opposite wall above the toilet and slid down until his rear end was submerged in the bloody puke.

Zoro tore his shirt off to inspect the damage. The cuts weren't very deep, but Zoro knew he was going to be in some serious pain later, especially if Luffy injured him further.

By this time Luffy had gotten himself out of the toilet and was inspecting himself in the mirror. Zoro had to say, he looked pretty bad, covered in puke and bruises.

Zoro straightened up, letting the blood flow freely from his wounds. He was used to blood loss, and what he had going on now wasn't really that bad. He had dealt with much worse, when Mihawk had sliced him nearly in half...

He shook his head. He couldn't let the past cloud his thinking.

Luffy was readying himself for another attack, Zoro could tell. He was carefully scrutinizing Zoro in the mirror, making sure nothing escaped his notice.

Zoro readied himself as well. The one time he didn't bring his swords... He shook his head to get the blood blowing. As if it weren't already flowing, Zoro thought wryly.

Luffy chose that moment to attack. He jumped at Zoro with amazing speed and almost pinned his arms to his sides, but luckily Zoro made use of his rage and spun free.

His gaze narrowed and he saw everything Luffy did in slow motion. Except it was real-time. It seemed like everything Luffy did was extremely slow. Zoro grinned. He liked this skill. He felt like he was the most skilled fighter in the world.

Zoro sprang at Luffy and knocked him against the wall. Then he took the boy's sword and sent it clattering out into the hallway. Hopefully someone would hear it and come to see what was going on.

Actually, now that he thought about it, it was a little strange that no one had heard them yet. Zoro shrugged that thought off. They could all fight well enough, even Usopp. And besides, the most dangerous person, Luffy, was here with him. So he couldn't hurt them all...could he?

Zoro wrapped his hand around the boy's neck and squeezed, just enough to cut off his oxygen, nothing more. No matter how upset he was, he didn't want to hurt him. Luffy was _still _his captain. Speaking of which, he needed to knock some sense into the rubber idiot.

He gripped Luffy's neck a little tighter and smacked him, hard, across the face.

Luffy's headed reeled, and he shook it to clear his mind.

"LUFFY," Zoro said firmly. "LOOK AT ME."

Luffy turned his gaze towards Zoro's face, expecting it to be furious. But instead it his expression was soft.

"What are you doing?" Zoro's voice lowered. "Don't you realize that I'm your first mate? And your swordsman? And your friend?"

Luffy looked away.

Zoro loosened his grip on Luffy's throat. "Well?"

"Yes, I realize that."

"And?" Zoro hoped he would apologize and he could get the antidote. He could feel his battle rage tapering off, and the pain would be easier to deal with if he didn't have that stupid gut pain.

"And I don't care."


End file.
